“The thing was limping around and his feet were infected,” Ramsey told KING 5. “I can’t wrestle a deer. So, what do I do now?”
OAK PORT, Wash. — A fawn on Whidbey Island became the focus of a community’s search for veterinary care after residents discovered a PVC pipe stuck in one of its legs.
Longtime Whidbey Island resident Robert “Bob” Ramsey said he first noticed the tube about a month ago on a deer born nearby, less than a year ago. At first, he hoped the tube would fall off on its own. Instead, he believed that as the animal continued to grow, its condition had deteriorated.
“The thing was limping around and his feet were infected,” Ramsey told KING 5. “I can’t wrestle a deer. So, what do I do now?”
Ramsey said he spent weeks contacting wildlife agencies, veterinarians and neighbors in hopes of finding someone who could help the animal.
“I’ve been the main person involved in this, helping out in any way I can,” he said.
The deer is one of two fawns born less than a year ago near Ridgeway Drive, according to community members. Ramsey said the animals regularly come to his property, where an apple tree attracts deer every year, and residents watched the siblings grow up in the community.
Ramsey said deer have become a common sight in the neighborhood as development expands in the surrounding area.
Neighbor Lori Matteson, who lives a few houses away, said residents first became aware of the problem last fall.
“I’ve seen it up close. It’s obviously PVC pipe,” Mattson said.
Mattson said deer can occasionally be approached from a short distance, but not close enough for anyone to safely remove the pipe.
“It was really limping,” she said. “It’s gotten worse because it’s swollen. It’s growing.”
Mattson suspects the animal may have passed through recent building debris in the area, but the exact cause remains unclear.
Both neighbors said they sought help from wildlife officials. Mattson said she contacted wildlife authorities multiple times, including the state Fish and Wildlife Department, but was unable to find a way forward.
Ramsey recently turned to social media as a last resort, hoping someone in the community could connect him with a veterinarian willing to help.
Ramsey said the deer was still trying to keep up with its mother and siblings, but appeared to be lame. He said he tried to lure the animal close enough to call for help but was never able to get close enough to safely intervene.
“I don’t think the neighbors wanted to see it anymore. It couldn’t walk,” Ramsey said. “It got to the point where I had to do something.”
Mattson said she fears the animals will continue to suffer if the pipeline is not removed.
“This person needs help,” she said. “I didn’t want it to die a slow and painful death.”
Both neighbors said they believed a veterinarian might be able to help if the deer could be safely anesthetized long enough to remove the simple plastic.
“This poor guy suffers every day,” Ramsey wrote in a social media post asking for help.
Neither WDFW nor Island County Sheriff’s Office Animal Control immediately responded to KING 5’s request for comment.
If there is an urgent public safety issue, wildlife violation or injured or dangerous animal, WDFW recommends people contact its law enforcement office at 360-902-2936, email WILDCOMM@dfw.wa.gov or call 911.
